Odometer drive



Oct. 14. 1924.

J. K. OLSEN ODOMETER DRIVE Filed Aug. 14 1922 .6 W, 61 E E Biz 9: 0'

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city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and cessive dial wheels,

Patented Oct. 14, 1924.

UNITED s'rA'ras PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN K. OLSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOI S, ASSIGNOR TO STEWART-WARNER SPEED- OME'IER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF onomnrnn nmvn Application filed August 14, 1922. Serial No. 581,563.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, JOHN K.

QLSEN, a citizen of the United States,

residing in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Odometer Drives, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof. The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified construction of odometer having a single set of sucthe whole consisting of a small number of parts and adapted to be assembled with a small number of handlings or movements and in compact form for enclosure in the small size of casing, It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims. a

In the drawings I Figure l is a partly sectional front elevation of an odometer embodying this .invention, having' the outer casing removed,

P showing the frame structure and mechanism,

section being made radially through the odometer dial wheels and shaft.

Figure 2 is a section at the line, 2-2, on Figure L Figure 3 is a section at the Figure 2. 'llhestructure shown in the drawings comprises a rigid unitary frame, A, consisting of a back web, A, end standarda'A and A 1 The web, A, has a protruding boss, A, which receives a journal bearing bush-' ing, 21, for an inleading power shaft, B. In the end standards, A and A there are formed apertures, a, a, for journal bearing bushings, A, A, which are dimensioned for drive lit in said aperture, said bushings being in cup form, that is, having closed ends so that they may constitute grease pockets as well as bearings, and being 1on er than the thickness of the end standar s so that they may rotrude inward therefrom to afiord bearings for the ends of the speedometer train shaft without making said shaft any lon er than the distance between the standar s so as to be introduced laterally between them, as hereinafter do scribed. On the odometer train shaft, B, vthere is mounted at the left hand. end beyond the highest denomination dialwheel thereon, a spiral gear pinion, B, which,

line, 3 3, on

t ion, G,

by lmurling the'shaft as meshes with the spiral driving gear, G on the shaft, C. At the opposite end of the shaft, B, there is made fast thereon for rotation therewith, a mutilated gear element,

C of familiar form for communicating decimally-reduced speed to the next wheel of the train by means of the carrying pinof familiar form, mounted on the carrying pinion shaft, g, which is journaled at its opposite ends in the standards, A and A On the shaft, (3, between C and G which are rigid therewith there are mounted loose as seen in Fig. 1, any desired number of mileage indicating dial wheels,five being? shown,indicated,' D D D D and D ,-and carrying pinions, G, on the shaft, 9, communicate decimally reduced rotation successively from the gear, C", which is without dial markings to the wheel, E, also without marking,and thence gear and delay zones, d and d, and unmutilated gear zones, (i

for co-operating with the corresponding zones of the carrying pinions is familiar and requires no further description here. Both the gears, O and C are made fast upon the shaft, 0, by being constructed for drive fit thereon, and, preferably, for the most perfect securement, seen at 0 and a, at the zones at whichsaid gears, C and C are to be made fast. By this means it will be seen that all the dial wheels and the wheel, E, assembled on the shaft, loose thereon forrrotation, may be correctly positioned, without undue slack longitudinally but sufliciently free for rdtation, in the process of driving on the gears, C and G which may be last applied, and that no other securing means or spacing means is required.

The shaft, 0, being as described of'such length that it may be entered laterally bemay be thus entered with the entire asthe gears,

' appliance used for bein be afterward driven and entered upon the journaled ends of the shaft; these journal bushings being dimensioned for drive fit into the apertures, a (1*, may be driven so that their inner ends abut the exposed outer surfaces of the gears, (3 and C and being in touch therewith, the driving of said bushings into the standards drives the gears, C and G on to the shaft the proper distance for positioning the parts assembled on the shaft between said gears without undue endwise play, but free for rotation. lit will be seen, therefore, thatthe process of assembling is rendered exceedingly simpl'e, requiring neither set screws nor any adjustment, the construction or adjustment of the forcing in the bushings, determining to any desired degree of exactness the spacing apart of the two bushings upon assemblage of the dial wheels on the shaft, (3, and the positioning of the shaft, as stated, and the forcing in of the bushings, the pinion counter shaft, B, will be inserted, the pinions being entered on the shaft respectively, in the process, and thereupon a pin, g securing the pinion shaft at one end to one of the standards, completes the assembly of the parts in place, and the casing, d, having the reading opening, J is applied over-the end standard secured by a screw taking into the web, A.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that the instrument described comprises a minimum number of parts, both in respect to frame structure and mechanism, and that the parts are secured together by a minimum number of securing devices, so as to make a very economically constructed, as well as. accurately operating instrument for the urpose. X

Also it wi be seen that the dial wheels all loose on the shaft, C, through whic they derive rotation are subjected to frictional driving by said shaft in the same direction 'in which they are driven positively by the decimally reducing train,

and thereby all slack in the train is con-' stantly taken up and the dial markings are kept in alignment notwithstanding the slack.

I claim 2-- i 1. An odometer comprising incombination with a rigid unitary frame consisting. of a base bar and parallel standards projecting therefrom; a shaft and a system of mileof said system,

' rennet age number wheels mounted side by side on said shaft for rotation thereabout; a driven gearfast on the. shaft at one end of the system of number wheels, constituting a stop for the same at that end, and speed-reducing gears on the shaft at the opposite end comprising a stop member adapted to be made fast on the shaft outside the remainder of said speed-reducing wheels for definitely positioning the entire system of wheels longitudinally on the shaft, the distance between the standards being not less than the length of the shaft, whereby the shaft with the number wheels thereon may be entered between the standards, said standards having aligned apertures and journal bearing bushings fitting said apertures for insertion therethrough, said bushings being adapted for journaling the ends of the shaft, and dimensioned longitudinally for stopping against which the number wheels are stopped thereon while said bushings are seated in said aligned apertures.

2. A revolution counter having its entire system of number wheels mounted side by side on a shaft-in common; a unitary frame comprising a longitudinal bar and parallel the means on said shaft by A end standard projecting therefrom, the

length of a shaft being not greater than the distance apart of said end standards, the latter having aligned apertures; and journal bearing sleeves fitted for thrust through said apertures and for journaling the ends of the shaft, and longitudinally dimensioned for encountering at their proximate ends the extreme stop members on the shaft while engaged at their remote ends in said apertures of the standards respectively.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, the stop members at the end of the number wheel system opposite the driven gear, comprising speedreducing gears, whereby the number of speed reductions may be varied by varying the number of said speed-reducing gear elements mounted on the shaft, and accommodated by correspondinglytvarying the in-thrust through the standard of the journal bearing bushing at that end.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at hicago, Illinois, this 8th day of August, 1922.

1 JOHN K. OLSEN. 

